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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570158">Goodbye</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychopathic_Nerd54/pseuds/Psychopathic_Nerd54'>Psychopathic_Nerd54</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dem Salty Bois (and friends) One Shots [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dem Salty Bois - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arguments, Car Accidents, Funeral, Last words, M/M, Missed Opportunities</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:14:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,861</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23570158</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychopathic_Nerd54/pseuds/Psychopathic_Nerd54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a nasty argument over the phone, Wade ends up not coming home, and JP feels he's the only one to blame.</p>
<p>Could be read as a sequel to JP Didn't Start the Fire but wasn't written as one.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Wade Barnes/Jeremiah Woodward</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Dem Salty Bois (and friends) One Shots [17]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/929742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Goodbye</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"JP.." Wade groaned into the phone, irritated at the younger. "You can't keep doing stuff like this. Do you realize how irritating and embarrassing it is getting complaints from the neighbors about something you did whilst I'm out?"</p>
<p>"I didn't do anything Wadey!" JP defended. "They just don't like me!"</p>
<p>Wade sighed. "There has to be a reason they don't like you JP. You're way too reckless."</p>
<p>"I'm not reckless! And stop lecturing me Wade, I don't need it." Wade rubbed his hand down his face in frustration. It was hard to keep from screaming but he had to restrain himself since he was in public.</p>
<p>"Sometimes you do need the lecture, JP. You can be such a child at times, you know that? I'm tired of you never being serious."</p>
<p>"I'm not a child, Wade, I'm 19. And you're not my dad so stop acting like it!" Wade could hear JP's voice rising in the phone. He knew that when JP started yelling like this, it was a defense mechanism to keep himself from crying. If Wade was smart, he would have just apologized but no, he was done with JP's crap.</p>
<p>"No JP, I'm not your dad. I'm your boyfriend but I swear sometimes I feel like your dad. I love you but you need to stop with this stuff, you need to mature sooner or later. You can't stay a kid forever. That's not how life works." Wade's voice was rising himself. He decided to make his way back to his car so he doesn't draw too much attention to himself.</p>
<p>"I'M NOT A KID! I'm so tired of you treating me like one, Wade! I get that you're almost ten years older than me but that doesn't make me a child!"</p>
<p>"You're a child to me, JP! Don't you understand that? You said it yourself, you're 19, I'm almost ten years older than you. Do you understand how often I feel like a pedophile because I'm with you?"</p>
<p>JP didn't say anything for a minute or two. Wade stayed silent too, realizing his mistake.</p>
<p>"I don't need this." JP's voice was so quiet, Wade almost didn't hear him. But then he spoke up. "I don't need you, Wade. If I make you feel like such a pedophile, then why don't you go find someone your age!"</p>
<p>"Because I love you, JP." Wade responded honestly, irritation still in his voice.</p>
<p>"That's a load of bull-honkey." JP scoffed. Wade was already sitting in his car, starting the engine at this point in the conversation. He would have stayed on the line and argued with JP's accusation but he needed to get going.</p>
<p>"Look, JP. We can discuss this when I get home. I need to start driving."</p>
<p>"Don't even bother coming home, I don't need this shit right now." And with that, the line went dead, causing Wade flinched. JP cussed. Wade knew he had made a mistake at this point. He knew he had to fix this as soon as he could.</p>
<p>Wade put the car in drive and made his way back home to JP. He wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, his mind on the argument.</p>
<p>Wade didn't see the red light.</p>
<p>He didn't see the semi-truck speeding towards him.</p>
<p>He didn't see it until it had collided with his driver side door.</p>
<p>He didn't see it until it was too late.</p>
<p>And everything went black.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>JP was furious with Wade. So mad that he didn't know how to handle himself. As soon as he hung up the phone, he chucked it across the room.</p>
<p>JP didn't know what to do. Part of him wanted to call Wade back, tell him he was sorry; but another part of him told him he had nothing to be sorry for. Wade's the one who made the mistake here, not him. Wade's the one who should be apologizing.</p>
<p>JP went to his recording set up and decided to try to record something to calm himself down. Part of him knew Wade wasn't coming back after that argument (after all, JP told him not to) but at the same time he really wished he would.</p>
<p>It was a good two or three hours before JP went to go find his phone after many failed attempts at recording something, anything, really. Surprisingly, it was not broken when he found it.</p>
<p>And not surprisingly at all, he had about twenty missed calls from Pat and Gar. He figured Wade would go to them after the argument and they would try to reach him to check on him. JP rolled his eyes, pocketing his phone, and ignoring all other calls coming in. It's not like he couldn't talk to them later. He just didn't feel like discussing Wade at the moment.</p>
<p>After thinking about it for another hour or so, though, JP decided to call Gar back, realizing he shouldn't make him worry.</p>
<p>"JP, oh thank god!" Gar sighed as soon as he picked up the phone.</p>
<p>"Hey, sorry I didn't answer. I figured Wade had told you what happened between us earlier and I just didn't want to talk about it." Anger was still seeping through JP's voice as he spoke but it was less anger than it was despair at this point.</p>
<p>Gar was quiet for a moment. "JP...what happened between you and Wade?" He asked quietly.</p>
<p>"We had an argument earlier. He keeps treating me like a child, I went off on him for it. He said things to me, I said things to him and I told him to just not bother coming home. I guess he went to you guys instead."</p>
<p>A quiet "Oh my god.." could be heard in the background on the other line, which confused JP largely.</p>
<p>"Why? Didn't he tell you all of that?" JP asked skeptically. Gar didn't respond. "Gar? What's going on? You're scaring me." JP said honestly, taking a seat on the couch near him.</p>
<p>"JP." Gar said slowly. "Wade got in a car crash a few hours ago. He's dead, he died on impact."</p>
<p>JP didn't respond. He didn't think he could if he tried. Wade couldn't be dead. Not now, not after that last conversation. Not after the last thing JP said to him.</p>
<p>JP felt his heart break worse than he ever had before. He almost couldn't feel a single thing. He could, however, feel sadness and regret overtake him. Wade's dead. JP knew it was his fault.</p>
<p>"JP?" Gar questioned sympathetically. A knot was forming in JP's throat, he was expecting a sob soon.</p>
<p>"I guess he listened, then. He's really not coming home." JP said quietly, letting a numb feeling take over him as he swallowed hard, trying to choke down the forming sob.</p>
<p>"Don't say that JP. There's nothing you could have done to stop this." Gar consoled him.</p>
<p>"Yes there is! I could have not argued with him, I could have told him to just come home, that I love him and that I need him to come home to me! Now he's gone and I have to live with that, I have to live with that fact that it's my fault." JP snapped suddenly, tears falling. He was sobbing by the time he was done talking.</p>
<p>"JP..."</p>
<p>"I have to go, Gar." JP said desperately, hanging up the phone immediately after.</p>
<p>JP buried his head in his hands, letting the tears flow. Sobs wracked his body as he sat there. What felt like hours passed before he settled down. Even after he stopped crying, he still sat there, an empty feeling taking over.</p>
<p>"I'm so sorry Wade." JP mumbled into his hands. "You deserved better than this. You deserved better than me."</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>A few days later, JP was busy packing up Wade's things. He kept a lot of it, unable to give up the memories, but most of it was going to go back to Wade's family.</p>
<p>JP was going through Wade's dresser when he came across something he didn't recognize. It was a small-ish box that was shoved inside a sock.</p>
<p>Curiosity getting the better of him, JP opened the box, gasping at the content, tears welling in his eyes.</p>
<p>Wade was going to propose.</p>
<p>JP slipped the ring on his finger, letting the tears fall as he stared at it.</p>
<p>"Why did you have to die, Wade?" JP mumbled.</p>
<p>JP refused to take off the ring. This was going to be his reminder of Wade. The thing keeping them together, even after death did them part.</p>
<p>"I do." JP whispered to himself, falling on his knees, crying uncontrollably.</p>
<p>~~~</p>
<p>"Wade Barnes. If there was one word I could use to describe him, it would be perfect. He was perfect to me. I loved him: I still do in all honesty. You just couldn't help but love Wade. I just happened to be the lucky one that earned his love back.</p>
<p>"I blame myself for his death. It happened right after a big argument broke out. We said things to each other that I'm sure we both regretted at the time. I know I said things I still regret to this day.</p>
<p>"Wade deserved so much better than me in his life. I was reckless, immature, stupid. I took him for granted while all he ever did was love and care about me.</p>
<p>"Wade was a shining light on so many people's lives, he helped so many and he didn't even know it. Why didn't he know it? Why didn't he know how much of an impact he was on people? It's just not fair, is it? I should be the one in that casket, not him. He was so much more than I could ever be.</p>
<p>"I just wish I could tell him I'm sorry. I just want him to come home to me so I could tell him I love him and how much I need him in my life."</p>
<p>"I just-- I miss him so much, he was such an impact on me. I can't imagine going the rest of my life without him in it. Without getting to see his face or waking up to him every day. It's gonna be hard, but I know I'm not the only one suffering from this loss. And for those of you who are, I give my condolences. Nothing will ever be the same without him."</p>
<p>JP concluded his speech, walking over to the open casket Wade's body was in. He choked back a sob as he stared at Wade's face, fiddling with the ring on his finger as he stared.</p>
<p>"I love you, Wade." JP muttered so no one could hear him. He leaned over and placed a soft kiss to Wade's cold, dead lips before he got motioned back to his seat by someone he didn't pay attention to. He only saw Wade.</p>
<p>Gar grabbed JP's hand once he sat back down, squeezing it tightly just to reassure him that everything would be okay.</p>
<p>"It's not your fault, JP." Gar whispered over to him</p>
<p>JP didn't answer, he let himself just think about how wrong Gar was.</p>
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